20 Years. 20 Seasons. Countless Lives Inspired: Celebrating Alaska Junior Theater’s Executive Director, Lainie Dreas
Contributed by Rowan Holmes, Alaska Junior Theater
On July 5, 2026, Alaska Junior Theater proudly celebrates a remarkable milestone: the 20th anniversary of Executive Director Lainie Dreas.
Anyone who has spoken to Lainie for more than five minutes knows that she lives and breathes for Alaska Junior Theater. For two decades, Lainie has been the driving force behind the scenes, helping bring the wonder of professional live theatre to hundreds of thousands of Alaska children and families. Since arriving at AJT just three days before the organization’s 25th Anniversary celebration, Lainie has curated 20 extraordinary seasons of world-class performing arts experiences, connecting audiences with artists from around the globe and ensuring that Alaska’s young people have access to the transformative power of live theatre.
As Executive Director, Lainie’s responsibilities are as diverse as they are demanding. She oversees annual budgets in an increasingly challenging economic landscape, writes grants, organizes fundraisers, manages staff, coordinates week-long artist residencies and handles the countless logistics involved in bringing professional touring companies to the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts from all over the world. Through her leadership, AJT reaches between 20,000 and 50,000 children and adults each year.
Over the last 20 years, Lainie has guided Alaska Junior Theater through some of its most challenging moments. During the 2008 stock market crash, AJT faced the loss of more than $120,000 in grant funding in a single season. With the help of AJT’s Board of Directors and through careful planning, determination and unwavering commitment to the organization’s mission, AJT persevered.
Then came the November 2018 earthquake, which struck on a Friday morning just as nearly 3,900 students were scheduled to bus into the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts to see Air Play. What could have become a disastrous situation instead became another example of AJT’s resilience and adaptability under Lainie’s leadership. In the midst of the disaster, AJT went through with its Saturday public performance, and Lainie had never experienced so many people grateful for such an uplifting performance that they desperately needed.
Perhaps no challenge tested the organization more than the COVID-19 pandemic. As AJT’s sole employee during that time, Lainie spent two years tirelessly writing grants and creating two virtual theatre seasons that were distributed free of charge to educators throughout the Anchorage and Mat-Su Borough. In 2020, Lainie met with various teachers and school counselors to explore the challenges that students were experiencing during at-home schooling and after returning to the classroom. With that info, AJT commissioned work from Soul Street Dance Company and Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience Band to address student concerns through their original work. Their work was beyond anything we imagined. While theaters across the world sat dark, AJT continued to provide arts experiences to students learning from home.
Beyond her work behind the desk, Lainie has also built traditions that have become beloved parts of AJT’s identity. One such tradition is the annual AJT Benefit Garage Sale, which she organizes each year from her own driveway. The event raises between $20,000 and $30,000 annually to support Alaska Junior Theater’s mission and has become a cherished community fundraiser. This year’s sale takes place Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28, in Midtown Anchorage.
Ask Lainie what she loves most about her job and her answer isn’t budgets, grants or logistics — it’s people.
“My favorite parts of this job are the friends and family that I have acquired over the years with fellow staff members, visiting artists, generous donors and board members,” she says. “Artists are greeted at the airport with ‘Welcome Home!’ Agents I have known for two decades meet me with hugs. Past board members rejoin for second terms to continue to support and guide AJT. Past staff come back as volunteers, contract workers or board members because they believe in the AJT mission. I love my AJT Family!”
That sense of family has become one of the hallmarks of Lainie’s leadership. Whether welcoming a touring company to Alaska, working with teachers, connecting with donors or mentoring staff and volunteers, she has created a culture built on kindness, enthusiasm and a shared belief in the importance of the arts.
Even after 20 years, the magic has not faded.
“I still stand in the back of the full theater in tears as kids are laughing and singing and dancing in their seats with the amazingly talented artists who visit Alaska and give so much to our community,” Lainie says. “I am very proud of AJT and what I do.”
And Alaska Junior Theater is proud of her.
Because of Lainie’s vision, dedication and passion, countless children have experienced their first live performance, discovered a love of the arts and created memories that will last a lifetime. Her work has helped ensure that generations of Alaska’s young people can experience the joy, inspiration and wonder that only live theater can provide.
Congratulations, Lainie, on 20 incredible years. Thank you for your leadership, your resilience, your heart and your unwavering belief in the power of the performing arts.
Here’s to the next act: our 2026-2027 Season, “Once Upon a Twist!” More info at akjt.org.